The HGCA has now released its most recent edition of their go to guide for grain storage. The Grain Storage Guide for Cereals and Oilseeds is an invaluable resource when considering grain drying and storage options.

Safe, effective grain storage is key to assuring crop quality and helping prevent loss of premiums through claims and rejections.

The economic benefits of storage are clear. The capability of storing grain for a November delivery will attract a £4/tonne premium over the harvest price, with May movement giving a further £7/tonne. Understanding the costs of storage is crucial. Grain drying is key factor in effective storage and the best practise guidance laid out in this booklet is endorsed by DEFRA, the NFU and FERA among others.

HGCA’s Grain storage guide was first published in 1999 and has become a key reference for most assurance schemes. This third edition of HGCA’s grain storage guide combines information from the previous edition and the results of a five-year Defra and industry-funded LINK research project in a new risk management approach to grain storage based on HACCP (hazrd analysis and critical control point) principles.

The guide recognises that achieving target moisture content within the shortest time possible is necessary to prevent the risk of mycotoxin formation and quality degradation. It looks are the various ways that this can be achieved. The full document can be downloaded here.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

The up take in photovoltaic (PV) panels in the UK agriculture market looked set to be significant but recent cuts to the feed-in tariff scheme have taken the shine off the returns. In Italy the sun is in much better supply and the factory has recently installed a solar plant on its extensive roof space.

The energy generated by the panels provides power for the manufacturing plant and accompanying office space. The solar plant is part of a long-term commitment to reducing manufacturing costs while also helping the environment. Below are some pictures of the new installation.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

Mecmar Drier, D 20 T, 2003, 483hrs, 19.5 tonne capacity, three phase electric drive, aspirator, diesel/kerosene Riello burner, telescopic screen, gravity empty through the screens to both sides.

Extensively refurbished by Mecmar Driers, re-painted, all wearing parts replaced with genuine parts where required, full burner and control panel overhaul. Supplied with a full one year warranty. 

Available for viewing immediately near Doncaster. For more details contact Mecmar on 01427 728186 or email secondhand@mecmar.co.uk

Click to view larger image

Click here to subscribe to the Mecmar Blog and receive updates on the latest refurbished and secondhand machines available

Below is the short article produced by Farmers Weekly, look out for it in one of the upcoming issues.

“One of the biggest trends in mobile driers has been the move to automated control system that mean they can largely be left on their own to get on with the job. However farmers often want to still retain some ability to make changes even when an automatic system is working. 

“Italian-made Mecmar mobile driers, for instance, now allow users to switch batches in mid cycle. It also has a facility to automatically top up the grain level by a tonne or two when it has dropped as result of shrinkage of the grain as the moisture is taken out.

“A third option, also possible even when the machine is in full auto, is to re-employ a burner to give extra heat.

“This SSI 25 T PTO powered model is a popular size, says Stewart McArthur from Mecmar UK, “as are the D 18 T and S 35 T versions.”

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

Build quality has always been the principal area of focus for Mecmar grain driers making them particularly suitable for refurbishment. The robust chassis design, highly specified wearing parts and inox stainless steel screens are just a few of the factors that contribute to the Mecmar driers durability. Since the 1990s Mecmar drier’s have been designed to be increasingly modular making on farm maintenance of the drier simpler, while also allowing thorough refurbishment to be undertaken.

Details of available refurbished Mecmar grain driers can be found on the secondhand grain driers page where you can also subscribe to this blog to receive updates on availability.  Below are some images of recent Mecmar refurbishment projects, click on the photographs to enlarge.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

Following on from a recent interview with Andy Pendry of Burden Bros, Kent. Another grower has brought the Mecmar grain drier to the pages of the Farmers Weekly. This time in an interview published today on FWi, Devon farmer Steve Lee, talked to Farmers Weekly about harvest progress to date.

So far this harvest has seen his 80ha of oilseed rape cut in just three days and also consistently exceeding yield expectations. Despite the dry spell over which the oilseed rape was cut the moisture content varied between 8 and 13%. This allowed Mr Lee to try out his new Mecmar grain drier, an S 40 T, which he said got on extremely well.

The Mecmar S 40 T has a 40 tonne batch capacity (of wheat @ 20%). With electric drive and advanced automatic system it allows the continuous loading, drying, cooling and emptying of the drier. There are also a raft of additional functions aiding management of the grain drying process. The drier is oil fired giving flexibile fuel options (diesel or kerosene) to help minimise operational costs.

With harvest just getting going the drier will have more work ahead of it as Mr Lee moves into 300ha of feed wheat in the coming weeks.  Especially given the slightly gloomy prediction of “about or rather above average rainfall” in the Met Office 30 day UK forecast.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

A recent piece of editorial in the Farmers Guide looks at the importance of detail and gives an example of this in one function of the Mecmar grain drier.

Mecmar has manufactured mobile grain driers since 1984. The Mecmar grain drier has evolved continually based on feedback from farmers across Europe. The design of today’s Mecmar drier is based upon years of innovation and attention to detail. This has resulted in a drier of industrial specification that delivers a high level of performance, reliability and durability. This attention to detail may be seen in every aspect of the Mecmar drier.

Take the critical function of crop recirculation. Good crop recirculation ensures a high hourly throughput, homogeneous drying and safety during the drying process. The higher the moisture content of a crop the more resistant it becomes to circulation. When drying crops with a high moisture content maintaining a high level of drier performance, reliability and durability is of paramount importance to the farmer.

In the Mecmar grain drier there are many small design features that promote good crop recirculation. The steep bottom cone, complete with solid stainless steel screens reduce resistance to flow. The variable pitch central auger ensures against the auger blocking. The large diameter gear on the agitator drive gives a high transmission ratio providing the torque required for the agitator to effectively stir the crop. The central augers substantial flight thickness and reinforced outer edges ensures the augers ability to recirculate the crop over a long service life.

All these small yet highly significant design elements exist throughout the Mecmar drier. They are directly a result of many years of trial and improvement by Mecmar delivering the highest quality product to the farmer.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

Mecmar grain driers are specifically designed to allow rapid manufacture of any model from the extensive stock of componentry held in the factory. This allows Mecmar to deliver new driers right up to the beginning of and into the harvest period. The ability to quickly manufacture and deliver new driers to UK farms marginalises the need for farmers to compromise on specification by selecting from stock driers held in the UK as harvest nears.

The photos were taken during a trip to the factory earlier this month.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here

Many new grain stores are designed to minimise HGV trips. Reduced transport costs are often a driver for investing in such facilities. Furthermore, investment in new drying equipment with electric drive and centrifugal impeller fans significantly reduce noise nuisance. Finally, if incorporated into a new grain store the noise nuisance can be confined to one site and managed through the design process and noise mitigation measures if required. 

At this time of year we are working with many farmers across the UK who are planning semi-permanent installations incorporating automatic mobile grain driers. Using mobile driers at the heart of the drying system in new grain stores is continuing to rise in popularity. It is minimising the capital investment required and the mobile grain drier retains an excellent resale value, creating a compelling economic case.

Planning construction of a grain store can be troublesome. Local residents can object, as Robert Neill discussed recently in Farmers Weekly, or local authorities can intervene and significantly slow down the process. Avoiding unhappy locals and planning authorities derailing the planning and construction process is key to gaining the maximum benefit from investing in grain drying and storage.

As it is such a minefield when it comes to planning grain store construction I would like to share a couple of good sources of information.

Firstly, another article from Farmers Weekly, discusses the importance of budgeting. The article is a little bit dated now, if anything the economic case for investment in grain storage has significantly improved, but the principles of embarking on such a project have not changed.

The second source of information is the very informative government website Business Link, it offers best practise guidance relating to siting and operation of grain driers. It is advice that if ignored will cost the farm money.

The full article can be read here, but here is a quick overview of the key points:

• If grain drying is causing a nuisance, your local authority can stop you from working, or can set limits on your work. They can restrict
  • the type of equipment you use
  • the hours of operation
  • the noise levels permissible from the premises
• Fines will be imposed for breaching any restriction.
• Advice for avoiding noise or dust nuisance:
  • use buildings, trees or hedges to shield neighbours from dust and noise
  • keep windows and doors shut
  • do not carry out noisy operations at night
  • maintain equipment to prevent it becoming excessively noisy
  • use sound-proofing measures to reduce noise levels
• For more advice about legal responsibilities towards noise pollution read the guide on dealing with noise pollution

If you are in the middle of working on new grain storage facilities or looking at improvement in the near future hopefully you will find this information of use. While it all seems quite obvious, thorough consideration of these points at the design stage can avoid significant problems later.

Please feel free to share your experiences of the planning system and any advice in the comments section below.

To receive email updates on new blog content just click here